New World of Fear
by Courier999
Summary: After a millennium of slumber, a clan of gargoyles reawakens in modern day New York City. Now, they're caught in the machinations of an eccentric industrialist, an immortal Scottish king, and innumerable eldritch abominations and sorcerers. Rated T for violence and language. Set in the same universe as "Musical Illusionists." R&R!
1. Chapter 1

GARGOYLES: New World of Fear

 _Gargoyles_ and related characters are property of Disney. _Inhumanoids_ , _Transformers_ , _Jem_ , _GI Joe_ and related characters are property of Hasbro. This is set on Earth-H.

Chapter 1: An Offer You Can't Refuse

EYRIE BUILDING- NEW YORK CITY:

" _Earth Corps, party of eight- Mr. Xanatos will see you now._ "

Herc Armstrong nodded as he and his cohorts entered the elevator.

"Remind me again why we came here." he mumbled as the elevator ascended.

An awkward silence settled over the Earth Corps before the elevator came to a halt. As the doors opened, a blond man in a three-piece suit and horn-rimmed glasses was standing before the octet.

"You must be the Earth Corps. My name is Owen Burnett, and I have been ordered to make you comfortable. As such, I have provided you with reading material, some fine wines, and hors d'oeuvres. Doctor Armstrong and Miss Shore- Mister Xanatos will see you personally. The rest of you can faff about." he pronounced.

Sandra and Herc nodded and followed Owen, leaving the others alone.

"Nice place. Maybe Jess and the others could take a hint about interior decorating from this Xanatos guy." Auger snarked.

Bombardier nodded as he poured a glass of wine.

"Hey, Liz- you want a bite to eat?" he asked.

Sabre Jet shook her head. Meanwhile, Bright and Liquidator were thumbing through the magazines that Xanatos had provided.

"What's going on with Herc and Sandra?" Tank asked.

* * *

"Doctor Armstrong, Miss Shore- let me just say what a pleasure it is to meet you."

Here and Sandra looked at a brunette man with a short beard.

"Who exactly are you?" Herc asked.

"My name is David Xanatos. You're probably wondering why I contacted you-"

"An astute observation, Sherlock. Perhaps you can tell us."

"I've heard about your ventures against the Inhumanoids."

Sandra groaned.

"You're not planning a trip to Skellweb, are you?"

"Hardly. I was asking you to do a consulting gig. Well, I was going to ask Doctor Slattery for consulting, but he insisted the rest of you come along too."

"What's the job?"

"I'm going to Western Scotland. There's a castle there that I plan to move here to New York- Castle Wyvern. There're rumors that it's got something supernatural involved, so I wanted experts to check it out."

Sandra nodded.

"So when do we leave?" she asked.

"Tomorrow morning. I've had work crews ready for a few months now, and they're chomping at the bit."

"Understood, Mister Xanatos." Herc replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Awakening

"So, why is Doctor Slattery just sitting there and staring blankly at the castle?" Xanatos asked.

"He's doing some kind of astral perception. Something about seeing things from the astral plane- it's a magic thing, which means it's Liquidator stuff." Auger answered.

Just then, Liquidator turned around and faced Xanatos.

"It's not haunted _per se_. But there's six big astral signatures that correspond to the gargoyle statues in the keep-"

"Thank you, Doctor Slattery. You and your friends have been a big help thus far."

Auger raised his hand.

"And now for the million dollar question- how'd you get all these work crews to agree to moving an old and potentially haunted castle?"

"Mister Augutter, there's an old saying my father told me once: Pay a man enough, and he'll walk barefoot into Hell."

Sandra and Bright nodded in agreement as the sounds of the work crews filled the air.

* * *

NEW YORK- THREE MONTHS LATER:

"Can't believe you called us back here just to see the reconstructed castle." Herc muttered as the elevator ascended to the top of the Eyrie Building.

"Doctor Armstrong, this is something you and your friends are going to want to see."

A short-lived mechanical whine filled the elevator.

"Sorry- just adjusting my legs!" Sabre Jet piped up.

"Liz, couldn't you wait until we're there? I was just thinking-" Bombardier began.

"Thought I smelled smoke." came the retort.

Just then, the elevator dinged and Xanatos and company exited.

"Nice sunset." Liquidator piped up as the nine stepped into the castle courtyard.

 _Assuming the old texts were right, it'll be any second now._ Xanatos thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bombardier noticed small cracks forming on one of the gargoyle statues.

"Um, Liquidator? Are you seeing this?" he asked.

Liquidator nodded as the other statues began to crack.

"Mister Xanatos, what's going on?" Sandra asked.

Just then, the first statue shattered, revealing a purple-skinned gargoyle in its place.

"Just as I thought." Xanatos muttered to nobody in particular.

Before anyone could say anything else, the other statues shattered to bits, revealing gargoyles of various physiques and colors.

"It is over! The spell is broken, and we live again!" the purple gargoyle proclaimed.

There was a round of applause from Earth Corps.

"How long-" one of the gargoyles began.

Xanatos approached the purple-skinned gargoyle.

"You are the one called Goliath, are you not?" he asked.

The gargoyle nodded.

"Would you and your friends kindly follow me inside?" Xanatos asked.

"What for?" Goliath asked, his baritone voice sending shudders down the nonet's spines.

"My associates and I wish to catch you up to speed on what has happened since you were locked into stone."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: In A New World

"How long have we slumbered?" Goliath asked.

"Roughly a thousand years have passed since the Wyvern Magos cast his spell. As of last check, you are the last of the Wyvern gargoyles." Xanatos announced.

Liquidator's eyebrows rose in an expression that could best be described as " _Yeah, right._ "

"Who are your companions, sir- sir-"

"Xanatos. David Xanatos. No 'sir' in the name. My companions are known as Earth Corps. Shall I introduce you to them?"

Goliath nodded.

"First, Doctor Herman-" Xanatos began.

"Herc."

"Er- Doctor _Herc_ Armstrong. Next, Doctor Derek Bright and Doctor Jonathan M. Slattery. After them, Mister Edward Augutter, Miss Sandra Shore, Colonel Anatoly Kiev, Mister Marcus Fischer, and last but not least- Miss Elizabeth Walker."

"A pleasure to meet the eight of you- you- what are your occupations?" Goliath replied.

"Short version- we fight monsters." Auger answered.

Just then, Owen walked in.

"Doctor Armstrong, you have a call. One Jessica Benton wishes to speak with you."

"I'll be right along. Bright, secure the tower's phone number- I feel like this could be the start of something."

Bright nodded.

"The rest of you should also go. Mr. Xanatos and our newfound friends have much to discuss." Owen added.

The other members of Earth Corps rose from their seats.

"Doctor Slattery, you will be staying here for the next few days." Xanatos insisted.

"What? But-"

"I've gone over your credentials, and I'm most impressed. Two PhDs back-to-back- one in chemistry and the other in thaumaturgy. This is something you'd give your right arm for."

"Why do I have the feeling that my presence has other, less academic, motives?" Liquidator asked.

Owen walked into the room.

"If you really must know-"

Just then, Xanatos noticed that the gargoyles had left.

"Why'd they leave?" he asked.

"They probably wanted to be polite and decided to leave you and Doctor Slattery alone." Owen snarked.

* * *

23RD PRECINCT HEADQUARTERS:

"So this where I'm working out of now." a police officer muttered to herself as she eyed the building.

Standing right outside the door was a tall dark-skinned woman with black hair and a red leather jacket.

"Door's over here, Red."

The first officer approached the woman.

"Who might you be?" she asked.

The dark-haired woman reached into her jacket and pulled out a badge.

"Elisa Maza, Detective Second Class. And you are?"

"Jean DeWolff, Captain. I was just assigned here."

"You're Chavez's replacement, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"I think we're going to get along just fine." Elisa said as she opened the door for her new boss.

* * *

EYRIE BUILDING:

"Doctor Slattery, I have a question." Goliath announced.

"Ask away."

"Are there any more of our kind in existence?"

Liquidator thought over the question.

"Yes and no. You're probably the last of your clan-"

"Then why did ya set us up with false hope?" one of the other gargoyles asked.

"I was going to say that there are gargoyles elsewhere. Well, that's what I read back when I was taking parazoology, but we'll cross that bridge l-"

Just then, a black transport helicopter rose up to the castle. The emblem of two crossed cavalry sabers graced its side.

"What's going on here?" Xanatos asked.

The side door on the helicopter opened, and six individuals in greatcoats rappelled onto the castle.

"Xanatos, meet your worst nightmare. Iron Grenadiers- _move out!_ " one of the individuals barked.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

If you're wondering who Jean DeWolff is, she's a _Spider-Man_ character. And as for Liquidator- he's going to stick around until the end of the opening story arc.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The More Things Change

"Who are these people?" Goliath asked.

One of the Iron Grenadiers snorted contemptuously.

"You been sleeping under a rock, ugly? We're the Iron Grenadiers- some of the toughest soldiers of fortune that've ever graced this world! And you're in our way!" he proclaimed.

"Don't brag about us, Sawbones." one of the Grenadiers piped up.

"Shut up, Psi-Spy! We've got a job to do, and these…things aren't going to stay in our way!" came the reply.

The six drew their weapons and readied them.

"Open fire!" Sawbones ordered.

A barrage of laser beams, shotgun shells, and gyrojet rounds were fired at the gargoyles and missed, damaging some portions of the castle's masonry.

"You do realize this isn't going to look good on the performance evaluations!" Sawbones griped.

"Bite me!" Goshawk replied as she fired her pistol.

As if on cue, the rocket hit a loose bit of stone, sending it toppling towards the ground.

"Whoops." Psi-Spy deadpanned.

* * *

" _All units be advised- we have a disturbance at the Eyrie Building. Watch out for falling debris._ " the police dispatch ordered.

Elisa Maza nodded as she turned off the car radio and emerged into the crowd surrounding the Eyrie Building.

"NYPD!" she exclaimed as she flashed her badge.

Just then, the bit of masonry dislodged by the rooftop gunfight hit the street, scattering the crowd like tenpins.

"What have we got h- oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Elisa grumbled as she surveyed the stone.

 _What could possibly be strong enough to leave claw marks in solid stone?_ she thought.

* * *

"You got the discs, Metal-Head?" Sawbones asked.

"Yeah, I got the stinkin' discs. Now let's get out of here!"

The helicopter flew close enough for the Grenadiers to board, and then it flew off into the night.

"What sorcery was that?" Goliath asked.

"Trust me, it wasn't sorcery." Liquidator replied.

Owen clucked his tongue.

"Why were they here? What did they want from us? And why attack tonight?" he asked.

"I think I know why- the discs." Xanatos answered.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

If you're wondering what a gyrate is, it's a type of gun that fires miniature rockets. You may be familiar with it if you're a fan of _Warhammer 40,000_ , in which you know it as the bolter. Granted, the gyrojet weapons of Earth-H aren't nearly as powerful (the _40k_ bolter is in .75 caliber). As for why the gyrojet never caught on in real life- the weapons built suffered from severe design flaws, and the weapon was rendered a footnote in firearms history. As for their presence on Earth-H, we can just say that Destro and his company ironed out the design flaws and call it a day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Aftermath of The Attack

"Who were these 'Iron Grenadiers' who attacked us? And why?" Goliath asked.

"They're mercenaries- men who fight for whoever pays the most. As for why, my guess is that they were after three discs-" Xanatos began.

"What is so important about those discs that those men would come here and seize them by force of arms?"

"Think of the discs as entire libraries worth of information. _Ipsa scientia est potentia_ and all that."

Liquidator stood off to the side and snorted at Xanatos' flaunting his knowledge of Latin.

"I presume you want us to get the discs back for you." Goliath stated matter-of-factly.

"You don't have to, but I would appreciate you retrieving them sooner or later. I'll let you know when to move out once I find out who's behind the Grenadiers' little raid on our building and figure out where they kept the discs."

"Save it for tomorrow. The sun will be rising soon." Goliath stated as he walked out.

* * *

ST. BONIFACE'S CATHEDRAL CATACOMBS- BENEATH THE LOWER EAST SIDE:

"We got your stinkin' discs, Reynard!" Sawbones yelled into the comm.

" _Thank you, Mister Morrison. However, your contract is not yet fulfilled._ "

"What are you saying?"

" _You and other Iron Grenadiers will be stationed at the Cyberbiotics Tower, the Labyrinth, and aboard Fortress-1 for the next fortnight. Xanatos cannot acquire the discs. Do we have an understanding?_ "

"Yes."

" _Good, Mister Morrison. I am not a man who you would wish to cross-_ "

"Nor are my superiors, Mister Reynard. Morrison out."

The feed cut off.

"You heard the man! Let's get moving and get our paychecks."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Investigations, Part 1

THE NEXT NIGHT:

"Owen, this had better be good." Xanatos grumbled into his desk intercom.

" _It's not, sir. We have a guest._ "

A dark haired-woman in a red leather jacket walked into the lobby of the building with Owen in tow.

"And who might you be?"

"Detective Elisa Maza, NYPD. I'm here to investigate last night's disturbance."

"It was an overloaded generator exploding-" Owen began.

"Not buying it, Mister Burnett. I heard automatic weapons fire up there. Either you let me look the place over or I come back with a warrant and a lot more cops. You decide."

Owen nodded and escorted Elisa to the elevator.

* * *

"Detective Maza, I presume?" Xanatos snarked as he eyed Elisa as she walked in the castle courtyard.

"Save your wisecracks, Mister Xanatos. I need you to answer a few questions- _honestly_. First question: what happened here?"

"I repelled an invasion by mercenaries hired by a rival corporation trying to steal some of our new tech." he answered.

"You're a private citizen, Xanatos- not a country. And at last check, this is your _office_ , not your _home_."

"Detective, I own a multinational corporation that's larger than many countries you can name. I can feel pretty safe in calling a theft by paramilitary forces an invasion _and_ an act of industrial espionage."

Elisa rolled her eyes.

"Like I'd believe that."

"Detective, perhaps we can discuss this-"

At that moment, Xanatos noticed Elisa was gone.

 _Damn it. My hands are tied on this one._ he thought.

* * *

"Okay, let's start here." Elisa muttered to herself as she disembarked from the elevator a floor down.

She reached for her flashlight and shined it into the castle hallway.

 _Here goes nothing._ she thought as she walked onward.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Investigations, Part 2

 _So far- nothing out of the ordinary. And yet I can't help but feel like there's something wrong and I just can't put my finger on it._ Elisa thought as she continued her wanderings.

Just then, the sound of large metal objects hitting a floor echoed from down the hall. Elisa nearly jumped at the sound.

 _Maybe somebody put pots and pans a bit too close to an air vent._ she thought.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

"Who's there?" she asked.

Silence.

In the distance, she saw a quadrupedal form lurking in the shadows.

 _What the- let's shine a little light on things._

She reached for her flashlight and shone it in the shape's direction. Standing there was a being that could best be described as a hellhound.

"Nice d-" Elisa began.

The beast began to bark and slowly approached Elisa.

 _Screw it- I'm outta here!_

Elisa broke into a jog as the beast pursued her towards the exit.

 _Tell me this is all in my head. Somebody tell me this is all in m-_

Elisa ran up a flight of stairs and out of the castle's interior, emerging on the walls' walkway.

"Okay, Fido. Stand down or I may have to drop the hammer." she muttered as the beast emerged onto the walkway.

Elisa drew her gun…only for a purple-skinned gargoyle to suddenly appear, rip the weapon from her possession, and crush it with his bare hands. In a moment of panic, she backed up against a gap in the crenellations and promptly fell from the wall.

 _Well, this'll make for a nice epitaph on my tombstone. Here lies Elisa Maza- killed by her own clumsiness._

Before she could even make it to terminal velocity, Elisa felt a pair of muscular arms and hands wrap around her.

"What the-"

Elisa looked and saw the gargoyle that had destroyed her gun. It was soaring upon bat-like wings and holding her bridal style as they descended.

 _Well, it's official. I'm insane now._ she thought.

The gargoyle landed upon a nearby ledge and set Elisa down.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My kind have no names, but you humans call me Goliath."

"Your kind? There's more of you?"

"Yes, but just barely."

"We'll talk once we get back up. Maybe you could fly back up t-"

"I can't fly- I can only glide upon currents of wind. Hold onto me as if your life depended on it."

Elisa nodded as she wrapped her hands around Goliath's shoulders, and the gargoyle began to climb upwards.


End file.
